Sophos Mobile Control Platform Aims at BYOD Businesses

Data security specialist Sophos announced the launch of Mobile Control 2.5, the latest version of its mobile-device-management (MDM) platform, which features an updated Web-based administrative console and is aimed at businesses deploying bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs. Mobile Control is available as a subscription license or as part of the company's Complete Security Suite, which combines endpoint, data, email, Web, server and mobile protection in one license.
The release offers integration with existing IT infrastructure by supporting the use of directories, such as Active Directory, to automatically assign newly registered devices to existing groups and apply the associated policies to them. The enhanced interface offers detailed graphical reports to assist IT administrators in managing all aspects of mobile devices, while ensuring security across all devices and information as to which devices require updating.

"BYOD is top of mind for myriad organizations; however, it's causing some concern among IT. The increase in personal devices accessing the network may complicate the process of ensuring devices are secure and compliant with company policies, making it difficult for IT to justify broad BYOD acceptance," Stacy Crook, senior analyst of mobile enterprise research with IT analytics firm IDC, said in prepared remarks. "Solutions with features like those found in the latest version of Sophos Mobile Control allow organizations to develop BYOD strategies without compromising on security, or complicating the overall management of the network."

Sophos has also beefed up risk mitigation with Mobile Control 2.5, allowing IT to remotely conduct a corporate wipe of a device if an employee leaves the company or remains noncompliant with security policies. If a mobile device becomes noncompliant, the new release will alert IT, so the administrator can send messages to the user for minor violations. In the case of a more serious incident, the administrator can configure a set of tasks, which will be applied automatically, such as a corporate or full wipe or policy change to avoid risks to corporate data.
"We have made considerable advancements in MDM over the past few months. Following our recent acquisition of Dialogs, we have been able to aggressively improve the features within our complete mobile security offerings, which have resonated with the market," Matthias Pankert, vice president of product management, mobile data protection for Sophos, said in a company statement. "We now count more than 1,500 Mobile Control customers using the solution to control and secure half a million devices-companies are saying 'yes' to BYOD without risking security and compliance.
"This rapid momentum in our mobile business is evidence that it is no longer enough for businesses to just control their own devices. They must now make sure that all devices, regardless of whether they are corporate or personal, are protected and secured and meet the corporation's security standards," Pankert continued.

Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.